StevenGuthmiller

Well, here it is. My 1965 Chrysler 300. Took almost exactly 1 month to finish this build. Exactly where I like to be. I figure 12 builds per year is perfect for me. Pretty much box stock, although I did take a few liberties with this one. As far as I know, steel wheels & dog dish caps were not available as an option on the 300 in '65, but I liked the look, plus the old built up was missing the stock hubcaps when I got it & I didn't want to deal with the time & cost of Modelhaus pieces. Besides, I think it gives it that sort of "sleeper"/ "grandpa's hot rod" vibe. Dog dishes are all the rage on muscle cars these days, why not on a big old yacht like this? Otherwise, It's painted in factory correct "Royal Turquoise" with a not so correct cream & turquoise interior, another little touch of my own. I don't believe this color combo was available, but it should have been! Other touches include, scratch built antenna, interior rear view mirror, head light covers and the body colored panel behind the grille under the hood to help cover up the ugly grille backs so prevalent on these old kits. I also flocked the carpet & tinted the glass & added a full array of under hood decals courtesy of "speedwaydecals.com". Now it's off to Cancun Mexico for a week to relax & contemplate my next project. Take care all!! Steve

For those of you who followed this build & encouraged me, thank you! I put the final touches on it tonight, but it was far too late to set up for any pictures. So I'll shoot for some photos in "Under Glass" tomorrow night. This is my first build for 2015 & I'm pleased that I made my tentative February 1st deadline. I'll be in Cancun Mexico next week, so I look forward to possibly following what's going on around here from a beach chair with a tequila in my hand! Thank you all! Steve

Nice Rich! I do remember reading somewhere that a side mount mirror wasn't even available on the '55. I would guess that would have carried over to the '56. But being as it's a custom, all bets are off. Great job Rich! Steve

Just use some acrylic craft paint like Ceramcoat. You can get it in virtually any craft store. (I get mine @ Hobby Lobby) I use it for grilles & door lines, almost everything. you can just flow it into the recess & then let it dry. anything that you need to wipe off can be done later with a damp cloth or even rubbed off with a tooth pick or the like. I usually let it dry for 20 minutes or so. Just until it's dry to the touch. Cleaning it after it dries eliminates any "smearing" problems. If it'll work on this Buick's grille, it should work for your application. Steve

I'm not real sure about just the Desotos, but there were a lot of other ones re-issued from other years. The only Desoto I have is the '59. Steve

"Don't touch my Dodge Dart Jake!!" Nice work!! Steve

Very cool Bill! I looked for one of these old MPC kits for sometime on ebay just because I loved the body style of the '68-'70 Dodges & Plymouths & wanted to build something different from what was currently available. The '68 & '69 Coronets are getting exceedingly hard to find & I never was able to find a nice & reasonable '68. I did however find a nice restorable '69 hardtop that I would like to build some time soon. I usually don't swap parts when I build these old annuals, but I think I'll be using the modern '70 Super Bee chassis & engine on mine. Very nice work Bill! Steve

A whole bunch of these old Johan promos were re-popped in the 80s by X-EL & Seville. They were exact replicas of the originals made from the old molds & were made of styrene. Steve

There's really no way to answer that honestly. every build & every builder varies. There's no way on Gods green earth that I would be able to do a build in a week or six hours. It takes me longer than that just to finish up the painting process on the body, not including any polishing, etc. Some guys on the forum get good results in a few hours, others may finish one project in a year. I can usually pump one out in 4 to 6 weeks, probably 24 hours or more of actual sitting at the bench time, & that's just a wild guess. In the end, it really doesn't matter. Everybody is on their own schedule, & as long as you're having fun, it's all good. Steve

Nice one Trent! There's something about the '65-'66 Plymouths I've always loved! In my opinion, probably the best looking Fury from the '60s. I find it odd that you almost never see them on the road anymore. I have the convertible to build, as well as a '65 hardtop. I'm looking forward to both! Good luck with your project! Steve

Thanks a bunch guys!! Steve

The dip in the roof may be partially due to the aftermarket glass I used for it. Not really sure if the original glass would have fit a little better. I happened to have it on hand & sometimes I like to use vacu-formed glass just because the scale is better. Not so thick. Steve

Here's a few shots of the 413 engine featuring decals from Tommy Logan, aka. "Roadhawg". Steve

It's your call Pat. I usually use the "paint over foil" method myself. But being as you have the PE letters & you're using them on the rear, I would keep things uniform & use them for all of the scripts. For the front. I would take measurements of the existing letters & right them down, or do some sort of template, then sand off the existing letters before painting. Steve

With a name like "Johan", you & I will get along just fine! Welcome! Steve

Metalizer Aluminum spray works perfectly for things like that. Just spray it on & rub it out a little. You'll love it. I don't seal it afterwards though. The sealer seems to "kill" the metal affect. Steve

I've done a limited amount of PE but here's one I did recently. I just measured the the width & height, divided in half for both, & then started with my center letter in the center of the tire cover & then divided by 3 on either side & marked with a pencil for the rest. I didn't bother polishing. They looked good to me. Steve

Well, I'm getting pretty close to finishing this project. The interior is done, & the engine will follow closely. After that, just odds & ends & miscellaneous details. Hoping to finish up sometime this week. If not it'll be a couple of weeks. Leaving on vacation Saturday! WOO-HOO!! Steve

Sorry about the interior pics Rob. If I knew how to delete them from this thread I would. I don't want to interfere with your build. No need to thank me for using the engine. I just figured, if it has one, why not use it. Even if it's not detailed up. You may be surprised. You may decide the work you did on the engine was your favorite part of the build. It's happened to me. Steve

That's just plain nice Ron! Great work! Steve

The engine looks great Rob! I would never guess that you had not done this before. Terrific job! Don't put that body too close to the stove! Steve

Thank you Dan! Steve

Thank you Tim! I'm sorry to say that I've never been an avid model magazine reader & even if I was, I usually have a hard time remembering what I had for breakfast! But I thank you for your kind comments. I was never a big fan of the styling of the '63-'64 Chryslers.......until I started this build! during the month or so that it took me to finish this kit, I really gained an appreciation for this car. As a matter of fact, as I've said before, this was the most fun I've had on a project in a long time! The unusual body style along with a nice interior & a unique engine configuration really made it a blast! I really love these old Mopars! They're just so different from the usual ho-hum stuff offered today! Steve

The kits were made of styrene so they didn't warp any more than any other styrene kit. I've built a lot of them in the past couple of years, & warpage has never been an issue unless the kit was packed badly of course. The '59 Olds is a kit, not a promo, so there is no warpage. It's not molded in yellow, the lighting was not real good where I took the picture, & these old unpainted kits take on a very yellow or cream colored tint over the years. Here's a '61 Plymouth that was molded in yellow It's a kit also, & was in such nice shape, I didn't even paint it. Just polished it out. Steve